Of Broken Lives and Dying Dreams
by allaboutelephants22
Summary: Jack finally comes to live with the Mercers, but will his past prevent him from ever trusting again?
1. Chapter 1

Ok, so basicallyI have been in love with this movie since the previews. Then I saw it the day it came out, and the next day, and the next week...etc. I've been watching it ever since. This is by far my most favorite movie. I've had so many ideas and stories running through myhead, it's been pretty hard to sit down and sort them out. I was going to write a different story before this one came out, but yesterday was just about one of the worst days of my life and that's when I wrote this. Well, enough of me, hope you enjoy!

Oh, and I know the age differences are different, but it just worked out better for me. So even though I myself am a big hater of change, I changed it. Please don't hate me for it!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, only Clark. Though I wish I did.

A young boy cowered at the doorframe. His hands gripped the side, trying to hold himself up. His foster dad's last angry words were ringing in his ears. "Your own mother didn't even want you. What makes you think anyone else would?" The harshness in these words hurt more than a thousand angry slaps and bruises. Hurt worse than a knife stabbing into his stomach. Hurt worse than the hate for him he saw in everybody's eyes. Hurt worse than the gash across his head that was making his eyes see black at the corners. The words hurt because they were true. This lanky, you-could-see-his-ribs-because-he-was-so-starved, boy with sandy blonde hair was alone in life. How could he expect anyone to love him, when his own flesh and blood had hated him beyond belief? These were the words ringing in his ears and running across his mind as he finally fell into the darkness that so badly wanted him.

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"Ma!" A young man shouted at the elderly woman in the next room. "When's the new kid getting here? I ain't getting any younger!"

"Bobby, you know just as well as I do that he was supposed to be here an hour ago. I hope nothing happened to them on the way." The elderly woman's voice held so much compassion that Bobby couldn't help but feel a little guilty for bugging her. He walked into the other room to find his adoptive mother sitting at the dining room table.

"Sorry Ma, I know how stressed out you are. The new kid's fine, they're probably just running late," Bobby wrapped his arms around Evelyn in a tight hug.

"It's fine Bobby, but you had better stop calling him the new kid. I've told you a thousand times, his name is Jack."

"Yeah, yeah," the twenty year old muttered. Just then a black boy of about fifteen came rushing in.

"Hey Ma, when are we gonna eat? I'm starving! The new kid better get here soon, or I'm gonna have to eat everything without him," Angel Mercer threatened. Bobby leaned over and slapped the back of his younger brother's shaved head.

"Show Ma some respect! And the new kid's got a name you know! Ma must have told you a thousand times, his name is Jack," Bobby repeated what he had just been told. Evelyn rolled her eyes at her two boys, thankful for the temporary relief they brought to her.

"Why do you always gotta be like that Bobby? You ain't the man of this house gringo," Angel taunted.

"Hell yes I am! What, you think you're the man of this house?" Bobby burst into peals of laughter. "And I bet you learned to call me a gringo from your girlfriend. Ay La Vida Loca!" Bobby mocked in a sing-song voice, grabbing at his heart. Angel glared at him for a moment. Then he sprung into action. He tackled Bobby with surprising strength and Bobby immediately stopped laughing. He was in complete shock for only a split second, and then he flipped Angel over and sat on his chest. Bobby smiled down at his little brother.

"You're crushing me," Angel gasped. His legs were flailing as Bobby had him pinned to the ground. Bobby just laughed in response. Evelyn rolled her eyes at the frequent occurrence. Angel was finally able to shove his brother off of him and they were rolling around, trying to get the upper hand. Evelyn jumped up just as they rolled into her chair. She whirled around as she finally heard the sound she had been waiting for all afternoon. The doorbell was ringing.

"Jeremiah! Come downstairs! Jack's here!" Evelyn called to her middle son. A young black man of about seventeen came out of his room and down the stairs. He jumped the last few steps. Angel was walking right by and Jerry landed right in front of him, falling into him.

"Get your punk ass off of me!" Angel pushed his other brother backwards, but he was smiling. Jerry just laughed at his little brother and slung an arm around his shoulders.

"Don't all stand in the doorway, we don't want to scare him off," Evelyn warned. This made all three brothers wonder what this new kid was going to be like. They knew that their mother always seemed to find the most hopeless cases. They complied with her request and Angel and Jerry sat on the stairs while Bobby leaned against the door frame leading to the living room.

Evelyn took a breath and opened the door, not too fast, not too slow. She had a warm smile on her face as she greeted Clark, the social worker. She looked down at the twelve year-old standing next to him and her smile grew. Her heart went out to this poor boy and she said the only thing she could think of, the only thing she felt.

"Welcome home Jack."

Ok, sorry it's so short, but that just seemed like the perfect place to end the first chapter. Trust me, the rest will be longer, at least I hope. Please review, because besides Four Brothers, reviews are my passion!


	2. Fairy

I absolutely love my reviewers! You guys just made my life! Thank you all so much! Please don't stop reviewing!

Oh, and Dea Puella, that is just too cruel a punishment! I wouldn't want that to happen so I decided I should just write the next chapter.

Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

This one's for noodlepie54 who helped me to get off my ass and write it!

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Only Clark is mine.

"Welcome home Jack."

Those words didn't register to Jack. They didn't have a place in his vocabulary anymore. Home? He had no home. This was just another temporary location before he was kicked out again. Or worse, he was removed. Removal meant something had gone horribly wrong and Social Services had to get him out of there as fast as they could. That was worse than getting kicked out. Jack shuddered internally as he tried to push those thoughts from his mind. He stared determinedly at the ground, refusing to look at the woman standing in front of him. He fixed his eyes on a stain on the ground, a little to the right of the woman's feet, and he began to sing in his head. Letting himself remember the lyrics, thinking of the chords to play on the guitar, this helped him to forget.

"Jack this is Evelyn Mercer and these are her sons. I'll let her do the introductions from there," Clark was talking to him. The social worker sighed as he realized that Jack was not paying any attention to him at all. "I'm sorry; he tends to space out sometimes, never listens to a thing I say. It's nothing to worry about though."

"Of course it's nothing to worry about. He's a kid, most kids ignore what we say," Evelyn had a twinkling laugh.

Jack had been listening though. At least when Clark mentioned her sons. Jack didn't remember hearing anything about there being more kids there. He shifted his glance on the floor taking note of a pair of feet in the doorway to his left, and two pairs of feet sitting on the steps in front of him.

"Jack, look at me when I'm talking to you," Clark chastised. Jack finally did look up at Clark, a bit surprised since he hadn't noticed Clark was still talking at all, let alone talking to him. "I've got to get going now, but remember what we talked about in the car. Be good and stay out of trouble. Good luck." With a pat on the shoulder and some parting words to Evelyn, Clark was gone. Jack felt even more alone than normal, if that was even possible. He did remember the talk in the car. How Clark had reminded him that this was probably his last chance, that if he screwed this up he would probably end up in the group home permanently. Jack jumped at the sound of the door closing behind him. This was it. He was stuck in this house for at least a while.

Jack sighed as he realized he couldn't stare at the ground forever. He looked up, looking around the room. Looking everywhere but in the eyes of the four people before him.

"Jack, these are my sons. This is Bobby," the guy in the doorframe gave a nod of his head. "And this is Angel and Jeremiah," she pointed to each of the two black boys sitting on the stairs. Jerry waved and Angel said hey to the scared boy in front of them. When Evelyn realized that Jack wasn't going to respond, she tried a different tactic. "How about the boys show you to your room, and then we all come downstairs and have a big bowl of ice cream?" Jack forgot his promise to himself and looked at the old woman. He was pleasantly surprised, he could barely remember what ice cream tasted like, and here she was, offering it to him in the middle of the day.

"Ma, how come you never offer us ice cream like that?" the guy named Jerry asked.

"Because you know where it is and you could get it yourself if you really wanted it Jerry," Evelyn laughed at him. "Besides, this is a special occasion!"

"Yeah, so don't fuck it up by asking stupid questions Jerry," Bobby crossed over to where his brothers were sitting and punched him in the arm playfully.

Evelyn just rolled her eyes at Bobby's use of language. "Boys will be boys," she winked at Jack. Jack felt himself give a flicker of a smile, something he hadn't done in a long time. Evelyn beamed. Even if it was just a hint of a smile, it was still a start.

Bobby reached over and grabbed Jack's bag off of the floor. "This all?" he asked. Jack gave a slight nod, looking somewhat embarrassed. Bobby just shrugged. "Well let's hurry up then, kid. Hopefully we can get a pick-up game in before dark." Bobby started clomping up the stairs, Angel and Jerry following him.

"Go on ahead, they'll show you your room," Evelyn reassured him. Jack walked silently up the stairs, making an obvious effort to be as quiet as possible. As soon as he was out of sight, Evelyn just shook her head and sighed. The poor boy. Evelyn hadn't missed any detail. His too-big clothes that were obvious hand-me-downs. The cut that was healing across his eye. The way he refused to look anybody in the eye. How he had jumped when the door closed, as if sealing his fate. The way he hunched into himself, as if he was terrified of what would happen if he came out of his shell. And of course the way he tried to be as quiet as possible, as if something bad would happen to him if he made to much noise. Evelyn sighed again as she realized something bad probably had happened to him for that reason alone. He had led such a tough life for being only twelve. She prayed that she could help him come out of his shell. "Really, all he needs is a big brother," Evelyn murmured to herself. She laughed as she heard a crash come from upstairs and then her three sons yelling at each other using some very colorful language. "And now he has three."

Jack was gazing out the window in his new room; the three boys standing behind him. "Well what do you think?" Bobby asked him.

"It's nice. Thank you." Jack remembered to thank him. He didn't want to make that mistake again. It's what happened at the last house.

"He does speak!" Jack looked embarrassed and turned back towards the window. "You're gonna have to learn to speak up kid. Mercers aren't quiet. And we can't have a fairy living in this house. You're not a fairy, are ya?" Jack shook his head, amusement showing in his eyes.

"Jesus Bobby! Learn to shut the fuck up!" Angel laughed at his oldest brother. "And you know you're gonna have to pay for that." He looked down at the now broken statue of a hockey player.

"Why do I have to pay for it? It was mine!" Bobby shouted incredulously. Angel just shrugged and laughed again. "Oh, fuck off," Bobby grumbled.

"Just ignore them," Jerry suggested to Jack. "It's what I do." He stopped talking suddenly has Bobby tackled him onto the bed. Jack backed away, pressing against the wall, his eyes wide. Where they really fighting? Was he going to be next? Was Bobby the enforcer in the house?

"Bobby," the single word spoken from Angel made him stop and look up. He followed Angel's eyes to see Jack pressed against the wall, his eyes wide, and he was shaking.

"Fuck," he whispered. "I'm sorry little man, we was just playing. Don't be so skittish." Jack blushed and looked almost angry. Although he wasn't angry at Bobby, he was angry at himself. Bobby knew the look only too well. "Well come on kid, let's go get some ice cream." Jack nodded and silently followed the boys out of the room, simply walking over the mess of the broken statue as they had done.

"Bathroom's down the hall. That's my room, Angel's room, Bobby's room, and Ma's room," Jerry pointed them out. He went racing down the stairs, Angel and Bobby following him. Jack walked quietly, silently. He didn't want to become a nuisance in the first hour of living there. Bobby turned around as the other two boys ran ahead to the dining room.

"Hurry up you little fairy," Bobby grabbed Jack's arm and was surprised to see him pull back in pain. Bobby reached again, this time for Jack's sleeve. Jack was staring at the ground again, not looking at Bobby's face. Bobby pulled back the sleeve to see a deep cut across his arm and some bruises in the shape of a hand directly below the cut. "Fuck." Bobby muttered again. "Fuck kid, I'm sorry." Jack just shrugged, barely noticeable. Bobby cursed again. Thinking that this kid didn't deserve this. It was weird; Bobby had already taken a liking to the boy, which was completely unusual. Bobby knew this himself and wondered why? Then he realized the answer. He saw a lot of himself in Jack. "Well come on, we don't want the ice cream to melt."

Jack followed Bobby into the dining room and took a seat next to Angel.

"I made you a bowl of vanilla, and we've got lots of toppings. Do you like vanilla?" Evelyn asked Jack gently.

"I don't know," Jack murmured quietly. He stared down at the table as the three boys shared a glance. This kid was too quiet. He was going to take some getting used to. But surprisingly enough, all three boys were thinking of ways to get him out of his shell.

"Well, we'll fix it up for you just right," Jerry offered grabbing the bowl. His brothers grabbed a bunch of different toppings and began pouring them on. Evelyn just smiled at the display. The bowl was placed back in front of Jack covered in chocolate, caramel, and strawberry syrup, whipped cream, and little chocolate candies. Jack looked at the mountain of ice cream in front of him. Silently he grabbed his spoon and took an enormous bite. Four pairs of eyes were watching him anxiously, waiting for his reaction.

Jack's face split into a wide smile as he hurriedly dipped his spoon in for another bite of sugary goodness. Evelyn memorized the picture immediately, wondering whenwill bethe next time she would see it again.

Ok, Chapter Two. Now please Review!


	3. Hockey

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Ok, I know it's been absolutely forever but it's been crazy for a while. And I absolutely hated chapter 2. Well at least the end of it. But lately I've been getting a lot of reviews requesting that I get off my ass and do something, so I typed this up. Vincent11lover brought it to my attention that it's been two years since I updated. And as I've been sick all week, I figured this would be a good use of my time. I'm sorry it's been so long! I hope you still enjoy it!

"Come on! Get a move on ya fairies!" Bobby yelled to the three boys clearing the dishes. "What are ya waiting for, the ice to freeze? Let's play some hockey!"

"Go ahead, I'll take cake care of this," Evelyn motioned to the mess of dishes in front of her.

"Thanks Ma," Angel and Jerry chorused. The boy's ran around gathering their hockey equipment.

"You got skates?" Bobby questioned Jack. The small boy shook his head. "Well, you can use my old pair and Angel's old stick. Just don't fuck them up."

"Hell no Bobby!" Jerry suddenly interjected. "You are not letting some scrawny ass white boy play a pick-up game with the same guys you play with."

"He's tough enough. Besides, a little competition never hurt anybody. Am I right?" Bobby looked at Jack who was standing against the wall. If those guys were as big and bad as Jerry said, then Jack certainly didn't want to play. But he wouldn't dare tell Bobby no. Jack had yet to figure out the rules of the house and at that moment he wanted nothing more than to just blend into the wall behind him.

"A little competition maybe, but not when that competition is five times your size and grew up in Detroit," Angel chimed in.

"Fine then," Bobby rolled his eyes. "The little fairy can watch for today, but we've got to toughen him up sometime." Evelyn smiled as she caught Bobby's statement while walking threw the room. She realized that Bobby had already grown comfortable with Jack and felt protective towards him.

"Just needs a brother," she repeated, murmuring to herself as she left the boys to get ready.

The other boys shrugged their shoulders at what Bobby had said and went back to finding their skates and sticks. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up and much to his dismay, met Bobby's eyes. He saw the amusement and curiosity dancing in them. Jack quickly looked away. He had seen something else. It couldn't be described as pity; it was more like a knowing look. Jack took a deep breath to calm himself. He didn't want to get involved in anybody else's business. After all, this was just another road bump on his way to bigger and better things.

"Jack, you're going to need a better jacket than that. It's freezing out there," Evelyn came into the living room one more time. Jack looked down at the ratty sweatshirt he was wearing. It was the only thing even resembling warmth that he owned. Bobby immediately noticed the embarrassed flush creeping across Jack's pale features.

"Don't worry about it. We've got some old coats you can have." Jack swallowed hard, but nodded. He wasn't used to strangers giving him things like coats and ice cream and his own room. Evelyn smiled proudly at Bobby, again reveling in the fact that he had become so protective. How Bobby had saved him from embarrassment by not making him say he didn't have a coat. Bobby caught Evelyn's eye and smiled, rolling his own eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking. Bobby turned as he heard Jerry racing across the hallway above him.

"Stay up there Jer," Bobby yelled. "And get him a coat! We can't have him dying on us the first day he's here!"

"Yeah that's gotta be a special occasion!" Angel chuckled gleefully. Bobby immediately picked up the hockey stick lying next to him, and hit Angel hard. He had noticed Jack's wide eyed terror.

"Fuck you Angel! The only one gonna be dying around here is you. And that's if you ditch us for La Vida Loca tonight." Bobby snapped.

"What? What can I say if all the ladies want me?"

"Yeah all the mentally insane ones," Jerry re-entered the room carrying a coat. "Here little man. It's the smallest one we've got." He handed the coat to Jack. Jack took it nervously, and then slung it around him. Jack might have been tall, but he was way too skinny. The coat seemed to swallow him whole.

"Well that's good enough for now. Come on ladies! Let's play some fucking turkey-cutter! Quick sticks and tight passing. That's what I want to see!" Bobby finally herded his brothers and Jack out the door and into his car. Angel immediately claimed shotgun.

Five minutes into the drive, and the whole car was already annoyed. Angel couldn't decide what music he wanted to listen to and was constantly changing the station on the radio. Bobby finally slapped his hand away and turned the radio off.

"Fuck Bobby! What did you do that for?"

"Cause you're annoying me and everyone in this damn car. If you would just stick with one song…"

"Ok, I will now." Angel moved to turn the radio back on and Bobby slapped his hand away again. "Ok this is getting old." Bobby gave him a wry smile and punched him in the arm. "Ouch! What the fuck was that for? I didn't even touch the radio!"

"Just getting you angry black sugar; I want you on my team." Bobby and Jerry laughed as Angel scowled out the window. Jack sat in the backseat, ignoring all of them and staring out his own window.

"Stop moping Ang, we're here." Bobby stopped the car and the foursome piled out; Jack somewhat reluctantly. A bunch of guys were already there and already involved in what looked like a pretty rough game. "Here sit over there," Bobby pointed to a curb close to the game. "You'll watch our stuff right?" Jack nodded mutely. Bobby sighed, not really expecting anything else. He deposited his bag, and Jack, at the curb and motioned for his brothers to follow him into the game. The game immediately stopped as the other guys welcomed the Mercers. Teams were quickly divided and the game started. The sun was quickly setting, but none of the players seemed to take that into account.

Jack watched the game with fascination and relief. Fascination that these guys were all really good at hockey, Bobby being the best. Relief that he wasn't playing with them. Jack winced as another guy hit the street hard. He looked away from the scene and studied the shops around him. His eyes lit up as he noticed a music shop across the street and he immediately stood up. Then he sat back down. He couldn't just wander away, especially not on his first day here. He had also learned that lesson. As he squinted towards the store, he realized that the closed sign was up. He swallowed a lump of disappointment. Hopefully he would be able to get there soon.

The game continued for about fifteen more minutes when two things happened at once. The streetlights came on in a blinding flash, illuminating the street, and a gunshot broke through the street. Some people froze, some people dropped to the ground, but everybody turned to look at the end of the street to where the sound had come from. A gang of black guys in their early twenties came loping down the street. Jack was frozen, but the sight of them drawing nearer made him move into action. He slowly slid out of sight and underneath a car.

"Mercer! I want a word with you!" A gruff voice called out from the front of the pack.

"You'll have to be more specific about which Mercer you want." Of everybody, Bobby alone seemed unfazed by the entire situation. He stood his ground as the gang stopped a few yards away. As calm as he seemed, his shoulders were tense and he was ready for action. The rest of his friends took courage from him and slowly filed in around him.

"You're brother. He hustled me last week. That boy needs to learn not to mess with me. Nobody screws me over! Nobody makes me look stupid!" The leader of the gang yelled, pointing his finger at Angel. Bobby quickly looked at Angel and then back to the gang.

"Now Vince, you don't really need my brother's help to make you look stupid," Bobby scolded. Vince looked shocked and did a quick double take.

"What? You think I'm playing?! That boy needs to be taught a lesson and my boys here are gonna teach it to him!"

"No. You're not. You seem to have forgotten who you're talking to," Bobby's voice dropped to a menacing growl as he took a step forward. Vince faltered. He looked at his gang, but they were busy staring at the many people surrounding Bobby.

"Fine then. It's not your problem, so we'll leave it for a later date," Vince glared at Bobby. He spat at his feet before turning away. "But don't think I'm gonna forget about that punk," he called over his shoulder. Bobby didn't move a muscle until Vince's gang was out of sight. His anger was almost radiating.

"Bobby," Angel began.

"In the car. All of you." Bobby stalked off towards the car. "Fuck! Where's Jack?" Bobby looked around, but didn't see any sign of the young boy. "Jack? Where are you man? Fucking find him!" Bobby snapped at his brothers.

Jack stayed under the car, weighing his options. He didn't want to get out when Bobby was clearly pissed. Misdirected anger was something he was used to. And it seemed foolish to walk into the lion's den. But on the other hand, he didn't want to piss Bobby off even further by making him wait. Jack closed his eyes, wishing he wasn't in this position, but knowing nothing would help.

"Jack fucking get out here right now!" Bobby yelled. That snapped Jack out of his indecision. He was already making Bobby madder and he didn't really want to see what would happen if he kept pushing the limits. He slowly crawled out from under the car and walked towards Bobby. Bobby just stood there, breathing deeply. He glared at Jack and motioned towards the car, not saying a word. Jack gulped as he got into the back seat, already tensing up. Bobby got into the driver's seat and slammed the door hard. He started the car and they took off. Bobby gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. Jeremiah stared out his window, seemingly unconcerned. Angel glared out the windshield and kept his hands clenched. Jack barely dared to breathe loudly. Not a word was said for the entire trip.

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**Review! Please.**


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